Cessna 172N EC-HPH Emergency Landing in Pelayos de la Presa

Incident Overview and Flight Details On January 25, 2003, at approximately 12:40 local time (11:40 UTC), a Cessna 172N with registration EC-HPH made an emergency landing in the outskirts of Pelayos de la Presa, Madrid. The aircraft was operating a general aviation training flight under dual command, traveling from Valladolid Airport to Cuatro Vientos Airport. The flight was part of a commercial pilot course with an instrument flight phase, involving an instructor and a student pilot. The flight plan consisted of three phases: a leg from Cuatro Vientos to Valladolid, a series of instrument landing system (ILS) approaches at Valladolid, and a return to Cuatro Vientos. The aircraft departed Cuatro Vientos at 08:47 UTC and arrived at Valladolid at 10:11 UTC. After completing three ILS approaches between 10:12 and 10:44 UTC, the third flight plan was activated for the return leg. ## Engine Failures and Emergency Landing The flight proceeded without incident until the aircraft crossed the Sierra de Guadarrama at 8,500 feet. At this point, the engine stopped, but the crew successfully restarted it in flight. They contacted Madrid Air Traffic Control to report the incident. As the aircraft approached an ultralight field near the San Juan reservoir, the engine stopped again. The pilot in command decided to land at the field. While on final approach at approximately 100 feet, the crew noticed another aircraft on the runway. They managed to restart the engine and executed a right turn to avoid a collision. During this maneuver, the engine stopped definitively. ## Impact and Aftermath The aircraft continued in a straight trajectory with a slight descent until the left wing struck a tree, causing the aircraft to crash. Smoke and fire immediately emerged from the cabin floor and spread to the rest of the aircraft. The aircraft was destroyed by fire and impact. The fire spread from the cabin to the tail and fuel tank areas, but did not reach the engine compartment due to the firewall. Both occupants evacuated the aircraft quickly without sustaining injuries. The Madrid Fire Brigade received notification seven minutes after the incident and extinguished the remaining fire using foam. ## Aircraft and Crew Information The Cessna 172N (EC-HPH) was manufactured in 1978 and powered by a Lycoming O-320-H2AD engine. The pilot in command was a 28-year-old commercial pilot with 645 total flight hours. The student pilot was enrolled in an Airline Transport Pilot (ATPL) course with 119 total flight hours. The aircraft had 7,859:40 total flight hours, and the engine had 2,621:40 total flight hours. ## Investigation Findings Post-impact inspection revealed that the propeller blades were bent backward, consistent with low power settings. The engine showed signs of lateral and vertical impact damage, with a fractured crankcase and a severed carburetor. The fire did not damage the engine due to the firewall. The crew's statements indicated that the first engine failure occurred during a power reduction for descent, and the second failure happened near the San Juan reservoir. The student pilot reported an additional engine stop between the first and second failures described by the instructor.